Feed water heater



March 27, 1934. R. e. MAKELY FEED WATER HEATER Filed Sept. 22, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY March 27, 1934. R. G. MAKELY 1,952,933

FEED WATER HEATER Filed Sept. 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LII BY mm ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,952,933 FEED WATER HEATER Ralph G. Makely, West New Brighton, N. Y., as-

Signor to The Superheater Company, New

York, N. Y.

Application September 22, 1931, Serial N6. 564,346

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to the art, of preheating feed water by exhaust steam.

In locomotives and other power plants using exhaust steam feedwater heaters, it is often. desirable to operate the feedwater pump when the main engine is not running. ,At such times there is often no exhaust steam available so that the feedwater may enter the boiler in cold condition, thereby producing undesirable strains in the boiler structure due to temperature diiierences in the metal in different parts of the boiler.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a means for removing. the above mentioned difficulty.

The novel features of my invention are set out with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with its objects and advantages, may best be understood from a detail description, given by way of example, of an apparatus embodying my invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In saiddrawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of a locomotive having an exhaust steam feedwater heater apparatus thereon within my invention.-

Fig. 2 is a detailsectional view of a control valve shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a combined vent and cut-ofi valve also employed in the arrangement of Fig. i.

Fig. 4 is a change-overvalve employed in Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings more in detaiL lO is a locomotive having a boiler 12 and engine cylinders 14. Locomotive 10 is shown as having an exhaust steam feedwater heater 16 of known type 33 mounted thereon and connected to receive exhaust steam for heating the feedwater through a pipe 18 leading to the exhaust nozzle 26 within the smoke box 22, whereby the heater. 16 receives exhaust steam at superatmospheric pressure conditions so long as the locomotive is running at a material speed. Feedwater is brought from a tank by a pipe 24 which conducts the feedwater to the suction side of a pump 26. A, heating line 40 is shown for supplying steam to the suction pipe 24 to prevent water freezing in pipe 24 in cold weather. The water from the outlet side of pump 26 is conducted to heater 16 through pipe 28 and the heated feedwater is conducted from heater 16 to the boiler check 30 through pipe 32. Steam for operating the steam cylinder 34 of pump 26 is supplied through pipe 36 and steam exhausted from cylinder 34 may also be conducted to the heater 16, the pipe 38 being shown for this purpose. The condensate from heater 16 may be conducted back to the tank through a pipe 42. The apparatus so far a well known character. r

In the operation of such apparatus, when the throttle of engine is shut ofhrelatively cold water will be supplied to the boiler 12 due to the absence of exhaust steam from the driving cylinders. In accordance with my invention, this difliculty is avoided by providing'means whereby boiler steam is supplied automatically to the heater 16 whenever the locomotive throttle is closed, provided the feed pump is in operation. The means illustrated for this purpose include a valve 44, illustrated in detail in Fig. 2, and a valve 46, illustrated in detailih Fig. 4, with suitable connections. Valve 44 has a bellows 48 within itscasing 50 and'm'eans are provided whereby the interior of bellows 48 is exposed to a pressure of exhaust steam in the valve chest of cylinder 14. The arrangement shown for this purpose comprises a pipe 52which connects an aperture 54 in the casing with the exhaust space in chest 15 so as to conduct steam to the interior of the bellows 48. Fixed to the upper side of bellows 48 is a valve 56 which extends through a web 58 within the casing 50 in close contactwith the aperture therethru so as to control an aperture 60 in the casing 44 which leads into a chamber 62 also in casing 44 and separate from the chamber for'bellows 48. When a normal exhaust pressure exists in bellows 48, valve 56 closes the port 60. The apparatus of valve 46 is thereby controlled by means to be presently described so as to prevent admission of boiler steam to heater 16. 'When,. however,

described is all of the pressure of exhaust steam in bellows 48 falls below a predetermined minimum, the spring 64 within casing 50 pushes'bellows 48 and valve 56 in the direction to open the port 60. The apparatus of valve 46 thereupon operates to admitboiler steam to heater 16.

The arrangement including valve 46 whereby the position of the'valve 56 determines the admission of live steam to the heater 16 includes a steam pipe, preferably the same pipe 36 which supplies steam to the pump 34. The live steam for the heater 16 is taken off from the steam pipe 36, or the like, by" a branch 66 which is shown in the drawing as forming a part of the casing of the valve mechanism 46. Within the casing of mechanism 46 and the, branch 66 is a chamber 68 from which the steam for heater 16 may be taken off through a pipe 70. The port 72 in the wall of chamber 68 through which steam passes from chamber 68 to pipe 70 is controlled by automatic valve member 74 having a piston '76 fixed thereto, said piston forming one side of the chamber 78 also included within the casing of mechanism 46. The chamber 78 is connected to the chamber 68 by a restricted passage 80, which is shown as formed in the piston 76 itself, but which may be otherwise arranged if desired. The chamber 78 is connected to the port 60 in the casing of valve 44 by pipe 82. ;It will be seen that so long as valve 56 is seated fluid can not escape from the chamber '78 and pressure will build up therein clue to fluid passing thru passage 80. Since the piston '76 is larger than the valve member 74, the pressure in chamber 78 will seat valve member '74 and prevent steam from passing from chamber 68 to the heater 16 through pipe '70 so long as the pressures in chambers 68 and '78 are nearly equal. When, however, valve 56 opens due to an abnormally low pressure of exhaust steam in steam chest 15, fluid pressure from chamber '78 can pass into the chamber 62. The chamber 62 is connected to a region of low pressure so that when valve 56 opens the chamber 78 is thoroughly vented. For this-purpose I prefer an arrangement including a pipe 84 which connects with the exhaust steam space in the heater 16. The pressure in chamber 78 having been reduced, the pressure of fluid in chamber 68 acts on the unbalanced surface of piston '76 to pull valve member '74 away from its seat. Steam thereupon passes thru pipe '70 to heater 16. Pipe 70 is preferably of quite small gage, as shown, so that it acts to reduce the pressure of steam supplied to heater l6 materially as compared to boiler pressure. p

It will be seen that the pipe 36, being the pipe for supplying steam to the steam cylinder of pump 34,- has a valve 86 therein between the branch 66 and the boiler. Valve 86 is for con trolling the feed pump 26, the pump operating only when valve 86 is open. Consequently, in the particular arrangement illustrated, no steam can pass to the branch 66 and thence to the feedwater except when the valve 86. is open and the pump is operating.

Preferably a combined relief and stop valve 90 is placed in pipe 52 to protect bellows 48 from excessive pressure in case the engine valve comes to rest in a certain position. Such valve 90, is illustrated in detail in Fig. 3. It forms no part of the present invention, however, and is not claimed by me.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a feed water heater, of means for supplying exhaust steam thereto, a pump and connections for forcing feed water through said heater, a pipe for supplying steam to said pump, a valve in said steam pipe for controlling the operation of said pump, a branch from said pipe beginning intermediate said valve and said pump and leading to said heater, a steam actuated valve in said branch, a piston fixed to said secondvalve, means for supplying a restricted amount of steam to the back of said piston for holding the valve shut, a vent for the back of'the piston, means adapted to close the vent when the exhaust steam pressure is above a predetermined minimum and to open the vent when the exhaust steam pressure is below said minimum, the arrangement being such that when said vent is opened the piston is moved to open said piston valve.

2. The combination with a locomotive of a feed water heater therefor, means for supplying exhaust steam from the engine of the locomotive to said heater, a pump and connections for forcing feed water for the locomotive boiler through said heater, a pipe for supplying steam to said pump, a valve in said steam pipe for controlling the operation of said pump, a branch from said pipe beginning'at a point intermediate said valve and pump and leading to said heater, a steam actuated valve in said branch, means whereby steam pressure from a point intermediate said valves holds said last mentioned valve in closed position when said exhaust steam pressure is above a pre-determined minimum, and means whereby said steam actuated valve opens automatically when said exhaust steam pressure falls below said minimum.

3. The combination with a locomotive of a feed water heater therefor, means for supplying exhaust steam from the engine of the locomotive to said heater, a source of live steam, connections between said source and said heater, a piston valve adapted to open and-close said connections, a chamber having the piston of said valve as one wall thereof, means for introducing steam from said source into said chamber, and means controlled by the pressure of exhaust steam from the locomotive engine for venting said chamber when such exhaust pressure reaches a certain minimum, said piston adapted to open said valve when said chamber is vented. 4. The combination with a locomotive of a feed water heater therefor, means for supplying exhaust steam from the engine of the locomotive to said heater, a pump and connections for forcing feed water for the locomotive boiler through said heater, a pipe for supplying steam to said pump, a valve in said steam pipe for controlling the operation of said pump, a branch of said pipe beginning at a point intermediate said valve and pump and leading to said heater, a steam actuated valve in said branch, means whereby steam pressure from a point intermediate said valves holds said last mentioned valve in closed position when said exhauststeam pressure is above a predetermined minimum and whereby said steam actuated valve opens automatically when said exhaust steam pressure falls below said minimum, said last mentioned means including a piston fixed to said steam actuated valve, means for supplying a restricted amount of steam to the back of said piston for holding the valve shut, a vent for the back of said piston valve, and means adapted to close said vent when the exhaust steam pressure is above a predetermined minimum and to open the vent when the exhaust steam pressure is below said minimum, the arrangement being such that when saidv'ent'is opened'said fpisa ton is moved to open said piston valve.

RALPH G. MAKE-LY. 

